Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

ECC Fire Protection District: Number Up?

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By Chief Brian Helmick

Your number just might be up…  If your address number isn’t!  If we can’t find you, we can’t help you.  Very often the address we’re responding to is not visible.  Addresses covered by paint and shrubbery are hard to see.  Night and weather conditions may affect their visibility too.  Many addresses are not even up.  This extends the time it takes for us to bring help to you – when seconds are critical!

Make sure your address is easily visible from the street. if you live on the water ways make sure your address is visible from the back and front of your home. East Contra Costa fire protection district responders thank you in advance for making sure your numbers are up. For more information please visit our web site at WWW.ECCFPD.ORG.

Supervisors appoint two directors to financially challenged East Contra Costa Fire Board

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2018 Contra Costa County Humanitarian of the Year Award recipient Phil Arnold (center) with Supervisors, from left are Diane Burgis, Federal Glover, John Gioia and Candace Andersen. Photos courtesy of Supervisor Candace Andersen.

Honor Humanitarians of the Year during Martin Luther King Day Celebration

By Daniel Borsuk

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors appointed Susanna Thompson and Mark Whitlock to serve on the financially beleaguered East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board of Directors, a position that the two incoming board directors may only serve on until the end 2018.

Supervisors voted 4-0 to approve the consent item at Tuesday’s board meeting.  Board Chair Karen Mitchoff of Pleasant Hill was absent due to illness.

The reason Thompson, a co-owner of an electric contractor business of Clayton, and Whitlock, owner of a Bethel Island carpet cleaning business, may only serve a year on the board is because unless both directors decide to run election campaigns later this year, their jobs on the financially challenged fire district board will come to an end.

Thompson and Whitlock beat five other candidates for the fire board posts.  They replace county appointees Robert Kenny and Cheryl Morgan.  Both Kenny’s and Morgan’s term expire next month, February.

Other candidates for the two county appointments to the fire district’s board were Anthony Barigiacchi of Brentwood who is an engineer with the Novato Fire Protection District; Lito Calimlim of Clayton, who is a real estate broker; Karin Schneider of Brentwood, a city of Tracy finance director; Stephen Smith of Brentwood, who is a former ECCFPD director; and Sandra Strobel, a Knightsen real estate agent

In November 2016 voters in the fire district overwhelmingly passed Measure M 62.4 percent to 37.6 percent to change the board from an appointed nine-member panel an elected board of nine directors.  Currently the nine-member board consists of directors are appointed by residency.

In addition to the two directors now appointed by the board of supervisors, the ECCFPD has four directors selected by the city of Brentwood and three directors chosen by the city of Oakley.

As if the upcoming November election isn’t enough, voters in the fire district will take part in a vote by mail election in March on whether to scale down the number of board directors from nine directors to five directors.  Depending on the outcome of the special election in March, voters will cast ballots in November on who gets to serve on either the nine-member or five-member board of directors.

The two 2018 elections occur in a fire district that is rapidly growing and transitioning from its agricultural roots to a bustling and sprawling suburban area where real estate values have zoomed up more than 14 percent in 2017.

Whether changing the composition or number of ECCFD Board of Directors from nine to five Directors-at-Large to retaining the number of directors at nine, will enable the district to gain more citizen support to place and pass bond measures to adequately fund the district, is a question no one can properly predict right now.

Supervisor Diane Burgis of Brentwood, whose District 3 encompasses the troubled ECCFD, believes the change from an appointed board to an elected board will solve the district’s financial woes.  “I am really pleased that the fire board is going to be elected,” she said after the supervisors approved the consent item.  “Hopefully, by having an elected board, fire district constituents will feel more confident about the district and the directors will act more responsibly.”

ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick believes the elected Board of Directors will also help the financially strapped fire district turn the page on its financial woes.  The question of moving from an appointed board of directors to an elected board of directors has been something the community has been asking for some time,” the fire chief said.

The key is whether an elected board of directors can do the job of convincing constituents of passing bond measures to keep the ECCFPD fiscally sound.  “We need a source of sustainable funding,” said Fire Chief Helmick.  “Having an appointed board has not been successful in finding long-term sustainable funding.  Perhaps voters will listen to elected directors,” he said.

Even though an audit last August found the Fire District’s budget had $6.2 million in additional funds, Fire Chief Helmick, who was permanently named fire chief last October, said he is constantly competing against fire districts that tend to recruit his veteran fire fighters because those fire districts offer better pay and benefit packages than the ECCFPD.  Most recently, four fire fighters left the ECCFPD to join districts offering better pay and benefit packages.

Chief Helmick, who has been with the ECCFD since the district’s formation in 2002, oversees a $15 million 2018 budget for 28 fire fighters and four battalion chiefs to staff fire stations located in Brentwood, Discovery Bay and Oakley.

Las Lomas High student Sienna Camille Terry is honored by county supervisors.

Humanitarian of the Year Awards

In other business, the Supervisors celebrated the county’s 40th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration and Humanitarian of the Year Awards. Community activist and retired software industry executive Phil Arnold of Concord was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Air Force veteran was recognized for his community service, especially in the areas of race and humanitarian relations. Sienna Camille Terry, a Las Lomas High School student was honored as Student Humanitarian of the Year.

Supervisors Approve Sheriff-Coroner MOU to Use Naval Weapons Station

In addition, Supervisors also unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Contra Costa County Sheriff-Coroner and the United States Army to use a portion of the former Naval Weapons Station near Concord to operate a marine patrol and training facility. The agreement will last nine years at no cost to the county.

Guest Commentary on East County fire district: Discrimination is illegal under the law of the land

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By Bryan Scott

Are the children of Brentwood and Oakley worth one-fifth what the children of Orinda and Moraga are worth?

Are the retirees of Brentwood’s Summerset and Trilogy developments worth one-fourth as much as the retirees in Danville and San Ramon?

The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) receives $94 in funding per-resident to protect lives and property in East Contra Costa County, while the two fire districts protecting the just mentioned central county areas are funded at $370 and $449, per-resident.

Let that sink in for a moment: $94 versus $370 and $449 per-resident.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District receives $370 of per-resident funding to protect the lives and property of residents in its community, and the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District receives $449 per resident to do the same thing.

This is according to Page 32 of the EMS/Fire Services Municipal Services Review of August 3, 2016, prepared for the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

Is this unequal funding of an essential government service fair?  Is it legal?

After all, residents of East Contra Costa pay the same property tax rate as those residents of Central Contra Costa, and all fire districts are primarily funded with property taxes.  Should not the benefits of the California tax laws apply equally to all citizens?

The Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution includes this sentence:

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

By providing the ECCFPD with such a low level of funding, are we in East County suffering from reduced “privileges or immunities?”   Of course, we are.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that:

“When a state distributes benefits unequally, the distinctions it makes are subject to scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause, and generally a law will survive that scrutiny if the distinctions rationally further a legitimate state purpose.”   Zobel v. Williams, 457 U.S. 55 (1982)

The California Supreme Court has stated that funding of another government benefit, education, based on geography violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“We are called upon to determine whether the California public school financing system, with its substantial dependence on local property taxes and resultant wide disparities in school revenue, violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. We have determined that this funding scheme invidiously discriminates against the poor because it makes the quality of a child’s education a function of the wealth of his parents and neighbors. Recognizing as we must that the right to an education in our public schools is a fundamental interest which cannot be conditioned on wealth, we can discern no compelling state purpose necessitating the present method of financing. We have concluded, therefore, that such a system cannot withstand constitutional challenge and must fall before the equal protection clause,” the California Supreme Court said. Serrano v. Priest, 487 P.2d 1241 (Cal. 1971)

The California Health & Safety Code, Section 13801, reads in part:

“The Legislature finds and declares that the local provision of fire protection services, rescue services, emergency medical services, hazardous material emergency response services, ambulance services, and other services relating to the protection of lives and property is critical to the public peace, health, and safety of the state. “

Not only is this difference of funding unfair, it is illegal.  Action needs to be taken to resolve this “public safety emergency,” to use Assembly Member Jim Frazier’s description of the situation.

Lives and property are unfairly at risk, unlawfully at risk.

Brentwood resident Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.  

Nov. Planning Workshop ideal time for Brentwood Council to discuss, take action on fire district funding

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By Bryan Scott

The Brentwood City Council has an opportunity coming up, an opportunity to take actions that will improve the safety of the over 60,000 current, and future, city residents.

East County is suffering from a dire public safety emergency due to the underfunding of the regional fire district, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD).  The district once had as many as eight stations, but now there are only three, with nine firefighters on duty at any time.

This meager force serves a region of over 249 square-miles, with over 115,000 residents.

Brentwood is conducting a Strategic Planning Workshop/Special City Council Meeting on November 16 and 17 at the Community Center, 35 Oak Street.   Contact Diane Williams, Executive Assistant, City Manager’s Office, at dwilliams@brentwoodca.gov for the agenda and further details.

At this workshop the Council will be working on the city’s Strategic Plan.  The current Strategic Plan includes six Focus Areas, with 19 Goals under these focus areas.  Focus Areas include Infrastructure, Economic Development, Land Use Planning, Community and Neighborhood Services, Fiscal Stability and Operational Management, and Public Safety.

It is during the Public Safety discussions that the City Council can take action to improve the safety of all city residents by deciding to move forward with the investigation and acquisition of additional ambulance hours, through an addendum to the existing County ambulance contract.

The City’s General Plan, which sets the vision for Brentwood, specifies that all emergency calls receive a three-to-five-minute response.  Due to budget cuts and fire station closures the 90% response times provided by ECCPFD for Brentwood are about ten minutes, according to ECCFPD’s September Operations Report.

The global standards agency for the fire services industry is the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  After considerable scientific research their NFPA 1710 Standard suggests response times of four or five minutes.

The City Council recognizes the problem.  Earlier this year a Council Fire and Medical Services Ad Hoc Committee recommended that the City spend over $1 million per year for three years to keep a fourth fire station open.  During March and April this Committee worked to move this proposal forward, getting ECCFPD Board approval for the action.

But bowing to a request from the firefighters’ union, and other political pressures, on April 25 the City Council reversed itself.  The issue died without a motion.

The previous Strategic Planning Workshop was held in September, 2015.  That session, too, was held over several days at the Community Center, and the first topic discussed was funding for the fire district.  The Council agreed to set aside $1 million to investigate the situation and do something.

While there has been extensive investigation in the intervening years, nothing has been done to alter the structural funding problem that puts ECCFPD at the lowest allocation rate of all fire districts in the County, even though East County is experiencing the greatest residential and commercial growth.

Residents of Brentwood and East County will have an opportunity to speak at the beginning of the Workshop.  Prior to the Workshop residents should contact their City Council, by phone, by email, or by letter, and tell them that Public Safety ought to be the number one priority of local government.

Yes, engaging with regional transportation partners is important, but is it more important than saving lives?

Yes, maintaining and operating parks, trails and recreation facilities is important, but is it as important as getting an ambulance to a heart attack victim, in time to save a life?

Brentwood residents should make their opinions heard.

The City Council needs to fund an increase in ambulance hours.

It’s what they were elected to do.

Scott is a Brentwood resident and Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizens action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.

Emergency crews rescue man who crashed car down deep embankment in Byron Tuesday evening

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The driver’s vehicle where it ended down the deep embankment off the Byron Highway, Tuesday evening. Photos by ECCFPD.

Transported to trauma center by medical helicopter

By Allen Payton

A man was able to extricate himself from his heavily damaged car after driving it off the Byron Highway and down a 25-foot, steep embankment Tuesday evening about 5:36 p.m. Seven East Contra Costa Fire personnel arrived on the scene and located the man near his car, near Holey Road in Byron.

East Contra Costa Fire personnel prepare driver for transport by helicopter to the trauma center.

According to the report by Battalion Chief Jack Gonzales, the rescue crew “secured the scene with the use of fire apparatus” and the driver “was provided medical aid and packaged in a stokes basket for a low-angle rescue.”

“AMR provided ALS care” to the man who was then “brought up to the roadway and was transferred to REACH3 (helicopter) for transport,” the report further states.

The driver was by himself in the vehicle and sustained “head and chest trauma” and “was transported…to John Muir Trauma Center in Walnut Creek.”

The accident, which backed up traffic on the Byron Highway, is under investigation by the CHP.

Reps. DeSaulnier, LaMalfa introduce bill to recognize Wildland Firefighters

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Washington, DC – Congressmen Mark DeSaulnier (D -CA11) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA1) issued the following statement after introducing H.R. 3907, the Federal Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act. This bill will direct the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to allow those who risk their lives fighting wildfires to be called “Wildland Firefighters.”

“Each year in California and around the country dedicated men and women put themselves in harm’s way to prevent, prepare for, and help fight the spread of wildfires. As thousands of acres currently burn in California, these specialized public servants deserve to be appropriately recognized as ‘Wildland Firefighters’ for helping to protect our landscape and the surrounding communities,” said DeSaulnier.

“Due to misguided forestry management practices that don’t allow for thinning and other prevention strategies, our forests are being consumed by wildfires at an alarming rate. Each year, thousands of firefighters risk their lives to protect our forests and property from the spread of these fires. They are known by titles such as ‘Wildland Technician’ and ‘Forestry Technician’ – vague terms that don’t reflect the scope of their duties. H.R. 3907 ensures these men and women are recognized by the proper title and terminology. When a destructive fire spreads quickly through woodlands, we call it a wildfire. When someone fights it, they deserve to be called a Wildland Firefighter,” said LaMalfa.

Since their establishment in 1910, 1,086 wildland firefighters have died protecting American homes, forests and National Parks from wildfires. Despite their dedication, these brave men and women are not able to call themselves Wildland Firefighters. Federal agencies instead use a variety of bureaucratic terms that do not reflect the dangerous work that these personnel do, such as “Wildland Technician” and “Forestry Technician.” H.R. 3907 directs OPM to develop a separate and distinct Wildland Firefighter occupational series for employees whose main duties and responsibilities are preparing for, reducing fuels for, and the suppression of wildfires.

Guest Commentary: East County Fire Board accepts coverage failure in present, future service levels

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By Bryan Scott

Residents of Eastern Contra Costa County are being poorly served by local politics.  It is as clear as the nose on your face, to use a hackneyed cliché, and was illustrated earlier this month at the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Board meeting.

During the month of September ECCFPD had no resources to respond to emergency calls for a total of 16 hours and 33 minutes, it was revealed at the Board of Directors meeting on September 2.

According to the Operational Update, delivered to the Board by Interim Battalion Chief Ross Macumber, six calls came in during this period, and all were calls for medical assistance.

“Sixteen hours and 33 minutes without coverage, that’s a new record for the district,” said Director Joe Young.

Joel Bryant, ECCFPD Board President and Brentwood Vice Mayor, also commented on the situation.

“It’s a bad situation that we’re in,” he said, referring to September’s lengthy time period when 114,000 residents were without ECCFPD fire and emergency medical services coverage.

Six 9-1-1 calls came in during the period when ECCFPD was unresponsive, and all were for medical assistance.  Responses to the calls came from Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (ConFire) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

The Operational Update does not indicate the locations where these first responders came from, or how long it took to arrive on scene at these medical emergencies.  What impact this delayed response time had on each of the medical outcomes was also not included in the report.

Fire and emergency medical services in East County are funded at just $94 per person, while residents in central parts of the county have the same services funded at rates of $370 and $449 per person, according to a June 2016, LAFCO report. Funds are distributed to government entities based on state law.

The fire district’s low funding rate has caused ECCFPD to cut staff and close fire stations at a time when East County is experiencing significant residential and commercial growth.

A government Task Force and the CCC Grand Jury have both reported extensively on the funding crisis, while Assembly Member Jim Frazier has called the situation a “public safety emergency.”

One solution to the problem is the reallocation of currently collected property taxes.  A recent memorandum prepared by ECCFPD legal counsel outlined the history of other such state-directed funding changes, and found no legal barriers.

But would the Directors of ECCFPD the support such a solution?

All nine members of the Board are appointed by other government agencies that would lose funds, should a reallocation effort be implemented.  Two Board members, President Joel Bryant and newly-appointed Director Susan Morgan, serve on the legislative bodies of other government agencies which receive property tax funds.

President Bryant is the Vice Mayor of the agency that appointed him to the fire board, the City of Brentwood.  And Director Morgan, appointed to the fire board by Oakley, is President of the Ironhouse Sanitary District Board of Directors.

Any funds reallocated to the fire district would come from these, and other, government agencies.  Is there a conflict of interest here?

For six hours and 36 minutes on the Labor Day Holiday, Monday, September 4, when four emergency calls came in, the ECCFPD service area of 249 square-miles was without ECCFPD coverage.

And yet at the October ECCFPD Board meeting, over two and one-half hours in duration, no discussion of ways to improve funding took place.

Just how interested in improving district funding is this Board?

Brentwood resident Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizens action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD.  He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428.  The group’s Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.  

Brian Helmick named Chief of East Contra Costa Fire Protection District

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ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick.

The Board of Directors of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is pleased to announce that Brian Helmick has accepted an offer to serve as Fire Chief, effective immediately.

At its meeting on October 2, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board of Directors voted unanimously to offer the permanent Fire Chief position to Helmick, who has been serving as Interim Fire Chief since March 31, 2017.

Chief Helmick started with the District as a firefighter in 2002. Chief Helmick successfully worked through the ranks and was promoted to Battalion Chief in July 2006, serving as the District’s Operations Chief leading up to his appointment as Interim Fire Chief.

Chief Helmick has offered the following statement on the appointment:

“I am honored and privileged to assume this role, to serve the Board and this community, and to lead and work alongside the firefighters and other hard-working professionals who provide fire and emergency response in this District every day and every night. I am honored that the Board has placed its trust in me – and in the support my family will provide to me as I take on this role in a permanent capacity. This is a tremendous opportunity and I do not take the responsibility lightly.”

“I look forward to working with the Board and the community to develop and implement a plan to provide even better fire services to this community, which I, too, call my home,” Helmick added.

“I am thrilled that Chief Helmick has accepted this position,” said Board President Joel Bryant. “It has been gratifying and immensely encouraging to see Chief Helmick’s development over these last 15 years, and especially over the last six months he has served as our Interim Chief. Today is a very good day for the District, and I expect many more good days under Chief Helmick’s leadership.”

The economic terms approved by the Board of Directors on March 6, 2017 for Helmick’s service as Interim Chief will remain in place while the District and Chief Helmick negotiate a new employment agreement, which will be presented for Board approval in the coming months.

For more information about the district visit www.eccfpd.org.

East Contra Costa Fire partners with CA Fire Foundation to supply aid to victims in emergency

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ECCFD Chief Brian Helmick

By ECCFPD Fire Chief Brian Helmick

The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) is pleased to announce it will now be able to lend residents a helping hand after disaster strikes.

In partnership with the California Fire Foundation who has launched the Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) Program, Chief Officers of the ECCFPD can now provide emergency financial assistance to fire and natural disaster victims. The goal is to provide immediate short-term support in the aftermath of a fire or other natural disaster which displaces victims.

“As a fire district, one of our core values is trying to help people in their time of need whenever and however we can. The SAVE Program allows us to provide help to our residents that are impacted by a substantial incident,” said Fire Chief Brian Helmick. “We are proud to now be participating in this valuable program that enhances the services we provide to our community after an incident.”

Working with the SAVE Program, the ECCFPD will distribute gift cards in amounts of up to $100, to eligible victims of a fire or natural disaster so they may purchase basic necessities such as food, clothing or medicine.

Under the program, a disaster includes: fire, flood, earthquake or landslide/mudslide. The financial support will allow victims of these disasters to purchase food, water, over the counter prescription medication, gas, shelter, clothing, or basis household necessities.

“As firefighters, we realize once a fire is out and all life safety hazards are removed our job is done. With that said, we are always looking for opportunities to do more. This program allows us to do that by providing direct assistance to our community members who are need. It is great to be able to provide more support once a fire is out,” said Chief Helmick.”

The ECCFPD has joined more than 75 fire departments across California in the SAVE program. The SAVE Program is funded by donations to the California Fire Foundation and Corporate Sponsors.

To learn more or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.cafirefoundation.org.

You can visit us on the Districts website, www.eccfpd.org or through our social media pages on Facebook (East Contra Costa Fire Protection District), Instagram (@east_contra_costa_fire) , Twitter (@eccfpd ) and our YouTube channel (East Contra Costa Fire Protection District) for more information on the Fire District.

ABOUT THE EAST CONTRA COSTA FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District spans 249 square miles and our firefighter/EMTs serve more than 110,000 residents in the Cities of Brentwood and Oakley, the Town of Discovery Bay, the communities of Byron, Bethel Island and Knightsen, the Marsh Creek/Morgan Territory area, and all other areas within unincorporated Contra Costa County to the east of Antioch and to the southeast of Clayton